Puzzle device.



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PUZZLE DEVICE.

(Application filed July 11, 1901.)

Pafenied Feb. 25, |902;

/N VEN 70H.-

UNITED STATES PATENT. FFCE.

WILLIAM E. STUBBS, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

l PUZZLE DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettere Patent No. 694,033, dated Februery25, 1902.

Application led July 11, 1901. Serial No. 67,823. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. STUBBs, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Chester, in the county of Delaware, State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPuzzle Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of whichFigure l is a plan view; Fig. 2, a section on line m Fig. l, showingalso one of the pins in a hole; Fig. 3, an enlarged elevation of a pin;Fig. 4, a diagrammatic plan showing a solution of the puzzle.

'Ihe nature of this invention is a puzzle device consisting o'f a blockor board having a series of equidistant parts, such as holes therein,arranged Vin parallel equidistant rows and a cord or the like havingsecured thereto a series of parts, such as pins, a predetermineddistance apart, the puzzle to be solved being to connect the partsconsecutively of said cord with certain of the parts of the block insuch manner thateach of the last-mentioned parts shall loe engaged by orconnected to one of said parts of the cord, respectively, as hereinafterdescribed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

l is a block of wood or other suitable material, which is provided withequidistant holes 2, occupying equidistant parallel rows arranged in theform of a square, as shown. 3 is a cord, to which are firmly securedequidistant pins 4, that are adapted to be entered into said holes.` Thedistance apart of Ithe pins is equal to the length of the diagonal lineof a rectangle formed by six of said holes-that is to say, the distance,for example, between the corner hole marked ct in Figs. 1 and 4 and thehole marked b, asvalso the hole marked c.

In endeavoring to solve the puzzle the first 'pin upon the cord isthrust into one of the holes 2-as, vfor example, the corner hole a thenext pin into either the hole b or c, and so on, with the objectofplacingin like manner a pin in every hole'of the series, each pin insuccession being entered into a hole whose distancey from such pin isequal to the distance from the latter to the next pin. To do this is noteasy, but may require many trials, for the reason that one is likely tosoon arrive at a point when the hole or holes in which the pin then inhand should be entered, or might have been, has been occupied byapreceding pin.

I have shown diagrammatically in Fig. 4 one solution of the puzzle, inthis case the starting-point being at' the hole a, and the ending athole b.

I prefer to make the pins of spring-wire bent into the form shown inFig. S-that is, with a head ein, that'is clamped to the cord, and legsa, bowed, as shown, and at their widest point of greater width than thediameter of the holes 2. Thus the pin may be readily entered into thelatter, thereby forcing the legs toward each other, whereby it (the pin)is held sufficiently to preventliablity of being drawn out when the cordis manipulated in working out the puzzle.

Although in the particular' illustration of.

my device shown in the drawings the block is provided with thirty-sixholes, six rows of six holes'each, occupying a square, there may be agreater or less number arranged to form a square or rectangle. Thegreater the nurnber of holes and corresponding pins on the cord the morediiiicult itwill be to solve the puzzle.

I further remark that my device may be made invarious forms withoutdeparting from the essential principle of the invention. For

example, in lieu of the holes 2 and pins 4 v there may be pins fastenedto the board l and having projecting eyes secured to the' cord, that areadapted to be engaged over the pins, lthe essential in this regard beingthat the block shall have parts or devices corresponding to the saidholes and the cord, parts, or devices corresponding to the pins.

In practice I would in order to keep together the vblock and cordpermanently secure one end of the latter tothe block at a properpoint-as, for example, at or near the corner hole a.

*Having thus described my invention, I claim as new andV desire tosecure by Letters Patentl. A puzzle device com prisingablock hav vingequidistant part-s arranged in equidistant parallel rows, and a cord orthe like, having parts corresponding in number to the said parts of theblock, and whose distance apart roo is equal to the length of a diagonalline of a rectangle formed by or more of the parts of said block; thesaid parts of the cord being adapted to be engaged with and disengagedfrom The parts of the block, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. A puzzle device consisting of the block having the series ofequidistant holes therein arranged in equidistant parallel rows, andthecord, or the like, having the series of pins secured thereto whosedistance apart is equal to the length of the diagonal line of areotangle formed by six or more of said holes, substantially as setforth.

3. In a puzzle device of the character recited, the combination of theblock having the series of equidistant holes therein arranged inequidistaut parallel rows, the cord, or the like, the series ofequidistant pins se-` cured thereto and having the bowed spring- Shanksadapted to engage said holes, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afxed my signature this 29th day ofMay, A. I). 1901.

WILLIAM E. STUBBS.

Witnesses:

ANDREW V. GROUPE, WALTER C. PUsEY.

